But I Didn't Mean It
by xXxAmazingly.BeautifulXxX
Summary: Sometimes people unintentionally do things that hurt the ones they love. And sometimes they realize just how painful the consequences can be.
1. The Words She Can't Say

**Herroo, everyone. I know it's been forever since I've been on here. I just graduated from high school and have been trying to find a job ever since.**

**Buuutttt, anyway, this is my first Hey, Arnold! fanfic. I've always loved this show, even as a child, and I've always wanted to write a story for it. Although I never actually shipped Arnold and Helga as a couple, I always thought it was cute that Helga liked him so much.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story.**

_**But I Didn't Mean It. Honest.**_

_**The fiesty blonde **_watched from a distance as he walked down the hallways waving hello to all of his friends, his bright smile practically alluminating through the crowd. Unfortunately, she knew that smile wasn't genuine, knowing the hurt that was hiding behind the saddened, dull look in his eyes. She nearly grimaced as, for a split second, he looked over at her, before quickly turning away again. He waved to the friends he had been talking to, and began quickly walking the other way. _"What a maroon, that's the long way to Mr. Simmonds class. Why not just be someone with a brain and go the normal way?"_

She huffed and pushed her bangs up with one swift motion of her hand. _"Criminy, Helga, did you honestly think he would want to walk past you after what you did to him? You practically humiliated him, all because you were too worried about your pride. " _ She leaned up against the lockers, the bell for class ringing as soon as her back hit the cold metal. She waited as her fellow classmates rushed by, the last one nearly tripping as she scurried to get by Helga, and Helga scoffed, pushing herself off the wall. _"That's right, keep it movin, Princess." _She inwardly kicked herself. "_Come on, Helga, stop doing that. Your temper and insults are what got you into this mess in the first place. If Arnold ever spoke to me again it would be too soon."_

She took one look at the watch on her wrist and started to half-walk, half-run to Mr. Simmonds class; she couldn't afford another tardy. Bob and Miriam, well, mainly Bob, had threatened to take her journals and diaries away, and she just wouldn't survive that. But, she couldn't help it. She intentionally tried to be almost late so that Arnold would have an excuse to look at her, always looking up everytime the door opened. But, more recently, he began to not even look up as she entered the room anymore. Besides, now she found it much more awkward when she would already be sitting down and Arnold would walk in, and he would almost...hmm, what were the words she was looking for? Not so much "stare her down", just give her a disappointing look. She hated it. Like she didn't get that look everytime she stepped into the same room Bob was in.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped out of her skin when the second bell rang, signaling that she was late. "_CRIMINY, pay attention Pataki!" _ She ran down the hall, not caring if the principal saw her, and as she burst through the door, Mr. Simmonds trailed off. Helga saw Arnold briefly look up, then drop his eyes back to his paper. She felt her heart drop down to her socks.

Mr. Simmonds walked over to Helga, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. She nearly shrugged it off, not wanting anyone's pity. "Helga, what's been with you lately? This is the fifth time you've been late to class in the past two weeks. I don't want to have to call your father again, but I'm going to hav..."

Helga shook her head violently, wanting to scream in frustration. She managed to keep her anger down in a hushed jumble of words. "Please, Mr. Simmonds. Don't calll Bo.., I mean, dad.. Please. It won't happen again, I was just distracted, is all. Please, please. I promise." She looked down at her feet, feeling everyone staring at her. Well, almost everyone.

She heard her teacher sigh, then felt as two fingers were placed under her chin. Her face was lifted up to meet his, his eyes searching hers intently. "Look, Helga, I know I shouldn't do this, but I will excuse you for just this day. This day only. Understand? This is only because you seem so out of character lately, and it's not like you to constantly be late for class. Now, go sit down and begin your work, okay?" He gave her a soft tug of a grin and a reassuring pat on the back.

Helga nodded and turned to walk to her seat, half expecting to see Arnold looking at her. Of course, he wasn't, and she looked away from him. Not wanting to cause any more of a scene in the classroom she sat down and opened her book. However, she didn't read the pages she was supposed to and she didn't write down the questions from on the board like she was supposed to.

She didn't want to be here in this classroom right now, being so close to Arnold. He was right there, just two seats away from her, and yet he felt so far away. Sure, she had caused him trouble in the past, pushing him down, calling him names, laughing when he walked a little too close to the sidewalk when it was raining and a car would splash water all over him. But nothing like this. Nothing that would make him ignore her. He always bounced back like a rubber ball, constantly putting up with her insults and her pushing him around. It's almost as though he could put up with everything she put him through in an attempt to be some type of friend to her. This time, though, she knew she had went too far, and nothing she could ever do or say would make it any better.

Once, she had felt eyes gazing softly at her, and she glanced up, shocked to discover it was Arnold, who had turned slightly in his seat to look at her. Her heart begged her to say that she was sorry but her mind had different plans and before she knew what she was doing she spat, "what are you looking at, Hair Boy? Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer, Football Head." "_No! That's not what I meant to say! Arnold..."_ She instantly bit her tongue, watching as the love of her life's eyes widened, tears forming in them as he stared directly at her, his mouth dropping in shock. She opened her mouth to say something else, and at the moment she didn't even know if it would be an insult or an apology, but before the words fell out, Arnold quickly turned back around.

She knew nothing good was going to come out of this as Gerald turned his head to talk to his best friend, and after about five minutes, angrily pushing himself out of his seat. Everyone around him jumped as the bottoms of his chair scraped harshly against the floor. "Seriously, Helga? What IS your problem, home girl? With that little stunt you pulled a few weeks ago, don't you think you should treat Arnold a little better than you are right now?"

Helga's mouth became dry as her classmates all turned to face her, boring holes into her skin. Arnold was the only who remained with his back to her. Mr. Simmonds looked up from the book he was reading, and Helga silently pleaded for him to say something, and he looked as though he was, until Harold butted in. "Yea, Helga, you're always saying that I'm the biggest bully. But at least I'm not as mean as you, you big bully."

Helga stood up, her heart pounding so hard she was afraid everyone could hear it. "I am not a bully, Arnold knows I didn't mean what I did...right, Arnold?" Her voice sounded alien, far away, and she wasn't even sure if Arnold had heard the last part of her sentence. He probably wouldn't have answered her anyway. Another voice snapped her back to reality.

"I beg ta differ, Helga, yer always pickin' on Arnold and puttin him down and pushin him around. It was bound ta happen sooner'er'later that ya'd go and do somethin' like this," Stinky added, and everyone shook their head in agreement, their harsh words repeating and echoing in her ears. She just wanted to run away, away from the all the disappointed looks and the taunts of every single person in front of her.

This was killing her. But for some reason, none of this was as painful as the look that Arnold had given her when she yelled at her, the look that kept popping up in her head. That look was sure to torment her in her dreams for the rest of her life.

She hung her head, pushing her hands against her ears and trying in a futile attempt to block out what everyone was screaming at her. It seemed as if the combined voices were getting louder and that they would never stop, and she threw her hands up in the air, screaming. "LOOK! I know what I did was wrong!"

The voices died down, and she thought she saw Arnold turn his seat to look at her, but she was too afraid to look and find out. So she kept talking, just to make sure that he heard what she had to say. She took a deep, shuttering breath and began again. " I know what I did was wrong. It's been tearing me apart since that day. I really honestly didn't mean. Honest. You guys gotta believe me. Sometimes, I...I..just say things that I don't mean, and I...I really wish that...Arnold would just forgive me. But I know that he probably really doesn't want to, and I don't blame him. In fact, I never want him to forgive me. I don't even wanna forgive myself." She walked around from behind the desk, past everyone, until she was directly in front of her teacher, who was now standing up. The tears begin to stream down her face, and she tried to hide it, but there was no hiding it as she asked in a shaky, cracked voice if Mr. Simmonds could write her a note to go home.

He nodded his head yes, the sympathetic look in his eyes making her want to cry even more, and as he went to write a note she tried to make one final plea. She faced the class, looking every single person in the eyes, before looking at Arnold, who was already staring at her, that same hurt look in his eyes. She looked him dead in the eyes, and kept her gaze on him as she spoke. "Arnold, listen, I'm truly sorry. I wish I could take it back, just...to take it all back and never have seen that horrible look in your eyes. I just...want...I...I'm so...sorry...Arnold.."

Mr. Simmonds prodded her in the shoulder with the note, and she took it quickly, not even turning to look at him before running out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Mr. Simmonds, along with the rest of his class, turned to face Arnold. He seemed to not want to look at any of them, and kept his eyes down. " Arnold," Mr. Simmonds said softly, "Do you want to go and talk to Helga?"

The room was filled with an awkward silence as he waited for Arnold to respond, and Gerald placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder as Arnold wiped the tears from his eyes. After a few short minutes, Arnold quietly muttered his answer, the first time he had spoken in five weeks.

"...No.."

**You like? What was it that Helga did that was so bad, and will Arnold ever speak to her again? Comment what you think what mean thing Helga did to Arnold? And make sure to keep your eyes open for the next part of this story.**

**Peace, love, and stories. Good bye for now, my lovlies.**


	2. The Emotions She Can't Show

**Heeeeeyyyy! So glad to see you guys commenting on my story. Thanks to everyone who guessed about what happened. I'm really starting to enjoy this story. It's keeping my mind off of things.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

The doors of P.S 118 quietly slid open, Helga G. Pataki's slim body slipping past the cracks. Her brown eyes peering around, the empty hallways indicating that she had about a minute left to get to Mr. Simmonds class. She sighed heavily, the sound of blood rushing through her body the only sound she could hear. "_Let's hope gym class pays off," _she murmured, the floor beneath her beginning to squeak as she began to take off. Skidding around each corner she came to, she grew faster with each second she counted down in her mind.

She reached the classroom door, breathing heavily as she placed a hand on the doorknob, peering in through the glass window. Thankfully, Mr. Simmonds was still sitting down, so she had about ten more seconds to get to her seat. She pushed the door open, trying desperately to ignore the glares that befell her. She cleared her throat as she sat down, trying to act as natural as she could by turning to the page number scribbled on the blackboard. The stares from her class had stopped boring holes into her, but she still could not shake the feeling that something else was wrong.

The feeling bugged her until she had the overwhelming urge to look up and scope out the room. Nothing seemed wrong with the classroom, and she looked down at her book again and tried to concentrate on the words in front of her, but the feeling didn't go away. So she looked up again, and for the first time since entering the room, noticed that Arnold's desk was empty. _Empty? Wha-? _Her thoughts trailed off as she looked up in shock and scanned each desk throroughly. He was nowhere to be seen.

_Oh no...What...have I done..._

She bit her lip, and just as she finished her last thought, the door to the classroom squeaked open, and Helga glanced to the side. "_Oh..my..God...Arnold?" _She nearly gasped as she took in the scene. Arnold's hair was a tangled mess, and his clothes were soaking wet. He still had that depressed look reflecting in his eyes. She inwardly flinched. She remembered that look from last week, when she had yelled at him for looking back at her. Since then she had not been late to class, but after that Arnold seemed to come in later and later. Now he had came in after the bell rang, looking as raggedy and worn out as humanly possible.

Mr. Simmonds' voice echoed through the classroom as he quickly stood up. "Oh my, Arnold, what happened to you?" He ran over to the drenched young boy, Gerald and Phoebe following quickly behind him. The rest of the class shared a concerned look before getting to their feet and crowding around Arnold. Only Helga remained where she was, trying her hardest to hear what Arnold was saying. The way his voice sounded made Helga instantly regret every single bad thing she had ever did to him.

"I...didn't..take the bus...today.. I had...somewhere else to be..I decided to just walk to school from there...It began to rain...and...I was...they..." He broke off, tears springing to his eyes as he swung his head to the side, biting his lip as he tried not to cry.

Mr. Simmonds knelt down to look face to face with his youngest student. "Arnold, what is it? You can tell me. Did someone hurt you?"

Arnold didn't answer immediately, beginning to whimper as Gerald put his hand on Arnold's arm. "Come on, buddy, you gotta tell us what's wrong, man. We can help you. I promise, man. You're my best friend, and if something happened I wanna know."

The silence stung Helga's ears, and she stood up in curiosity. Arnold had placed his face into his hands and had began to sob. Just listening to Arnold cry was enough to make Helga want to crawl under a rock and die. Each shuddering breath he inhaled drew Helga one step closer to the crowd, until she was nearly standing right in front of him.

She practically sank back into the crowd as Arnold looked back up, the stained tear trails on his face a horrific reminder of all the drama he's had to put up with for the past several weeks. Helga just wanted to kick herself repeatedly. _"This is all your fault, Pataki. If you woulda just kept your mouth shut, none of this woulda happened."_

As Arnold began to speak again, his voice broke and cracked, making it near impossible to understand anything he was saying. However, his classmates were able to pick out three vital words that hit everyone right in the chest. "...I...was...mugged..."

_MUGGED?! BY WHO?!_

No sooner had the words left Arnold's mouth, Mr. Simmonds demeanor changed immediatly. He shot up, standing up as quickly as he could. His students watched as he placed his face in one hand, taking several deep breaths as he tried to remain as calm as he could. Gerald drew Arnold closer to him, and Arnold practically collapsed into his best friends arms. Gerald patted Arnold's back and murmured softly to him, and Phoebe joined the hug, awkwardly trying to squeeze her way into the little group.

After several minutes of heavy breathing, Mr. Simmonds knelt back down to face Arnold. "Arnold, you need to listen very carefully. I need to know who jumped you, where were you at, and are you hurt?" He waited patiently as Arnold gathered himself and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. He pulled himself away from his friends and turned to face his teacher. "I..I..w..was..walking..by the...graveyard..at the...end..of..the street..corner, a..and some..guys in..black sweatshirts..and sweat...pants... surrounded..me..they..threatened..to..follow me...home.."

Mr. Simmonds eyes seemed to grow more intense as Arnold explained the situation that had taken place earlier that morning. He clearly was not going to stop without a fight until the thugs that had hurt Arnold were put behind bars. He cleared his throat and struggled vainly to keep his voice as steady as he did. "Gerald, you and Phoebe will walk Arnold to the principals office. Call the cops and get an escort situated so that Arnold gets a safe way home. You two will stay with him all day, to make sure he's safe and taken care of. Everyone else, please return to your seats and continue your work. I will take care of this situation immediately."

The class trudged back to their seats, occassionally casting sorrow-filled glances back at Arnold and Gerald. Gerald had taken his jacket off and was draping it over Arnold's shoulder, while Phoebe began washing some dirt off of Arnold's face. His clothes were torn and he was bleeding from some scratches on his chest and arms. Gerald opened the door and began to lead his friend out the door, placing an arm over his shoulders. Phoebe ran to catch up, closing the door behind her, and clasping Arnold's hand as she walked with Arnold and Gerald down the hall.

Helga sat still, her eyes widened and her heart pounding, completely in shock at what had just taken place. Her Arnold..had been hurt? And after all that drama she had put him through? As if she couldn't feel more worthless and useless as she already did. Now she had all this other knowledge of discovering just how bad Arnold's life had gotten since that one afternoon after school, when she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

She tried to shake off the feeling of hopelessness that slowly started to consume her. She knew that everyone else around her was trying to distract themselves by engulfing into their classwork. She also knew that, just like her, it wasn't working. Everyone had one question on their mind. Why?

And as Helga began to ponder the _why _question, another question popped into her head..  
_What was Arnold doing around the cemetary today?_

**Well, what did you think? Make sure to comment your thoughts, guesses on what Helga did to Arnold or why he was out by the graveyard, or just any other comments you would like to leave. Make sure to stay tuned to find out what happens next.**

**Peace, love, and fanfic!**


	3. The Past She Can't Change

**IOh em gee, guys, I really am sorry. I truly meant for this to be the last part of the story. I really did. But then I got this idea last night after a fit of not being able to sleep.  
**

**Annyywayys, please please please enjoy!**

The wind felt cold against Helga's skin as she hurried out into the schoolyard. She shivered as she tugged her sleeves down further in an attempt to warm herself up. Obviously her short sleeved shirt wasn't enough to block out the freezing wind, and she felt envious of everyone else with their warm wool jackets on, all nice and cuddly against this cruel weather. _"Of course this would be the day I leave my jacket on the bus. I guess this is payback for what I did to Footba...er, Arnold." _The mere thought of his name was enough for her to scan the playground, finding Arnold huddled tightly against Phoebe and Gerald, playing a game of marbles, his pretty blonde hair tugged about by the wind.

She quickly looked away, unable to shake the undeniable feeling of envy as she watched Phoebe so close to Arnold, their jackets brushing together with every move either made. Of course, Helga had nothing to worry about. Phoebe was her best friend and would never move in on Arnold, and plus everyone in the fourth grade knew that she and Gerald had feelings for each other. It was obvious as Helga watched the two of them look up at each other ever so often, the soft look in their eyes enough to warm up this chilly day.

How she wished that her and Arnold could share looks such as though. Her heart yearned for Arnold to give her the same look that Gerald was giving Phoebe right now, that loving glint in his eye, his mouth gently tipped up into a small grin. She knew that would never happen, not even in a million years, even if she...

No, she couldn't just apologize and make all this go away. It just wasn't that simple, Pataki, and she knew that. The feeling of dread soon washed over her again, and quickly stood up, not wanting anyone to see the tears that threatened to fall down her face. So she ran. Out of the schoolyard. Away from P.S 118. Away from Arnold and the sad look he always had when he was around her.

And she kept running, not knowing where her feet were taking her or when she was gonna stop. She didn't care, though. Each deep breath she took drew in a sharp intake of freezing air, and for some odd reason, the stinging sensation in her lungs was enough to take the pain away, at least for a little bit. However, soon she began to feel dizzy, the colors and noises blending together.

She stopped abruptly, taking one big gulp of air after another, putting her hands on her knees and staring at the cold concrete sidewalk beneath her. As she stood there, kneeling over as her sides began to ache, it seemed to get colder and colder still. She began to shake violently as the wind pushed its way past her clothes and straight to her skin. _"Criminy how cold is it gonna get today? I better go home and get another jacket before I go back to..."_

As she looked up, her eyes befalling the creepy, rotting old sign before her, her words were taken away by the cold breeze that ruffled through her hair. _Cemetary, _was all that it said. No fancy letters, no name to the resting place, nothing. Just an old wooden sign with the paint peeling off. "_How creepy," _Helga thought as she stepped past the creaky old fence, the wind blowing past the headstones and moving the gate back and forth. "_I mean, you would think they'd clean this place up a bit. It __**is **__people's final resting places._

She stepped lightly through the headstones, taking in the faded words and trying her best to read the dates and names. There wasn't many gravestones in the cemetary, and most didn't seem to be recent, now that there was a brand new cemetary on the other side of town. The most recent one was from just a few short years ago, and it made Helga stop dead in her tracks, her eyes widening as goosebumps chased themselves up her arms.

_Mr. and Mrs. Shortman, may you still be out there somewhere._

The sight sent Helga reeling backwards, wanting to scream and cry at the same time. She had never even known this was here. She also hadn't noticed, up until now, that every year, around this time, Arnold began to act distant and depressed. Maybe, this was why he was at the graveyard last week, when he had gotten jumped by those strange men. But, that still didn't answer why he came to see them, if they weren't really resting here.

The answer to her question had literally just hit her, a small white envelope flew out from beneath a rock, nailing Helga square in the face. She quickly grabbed it before the wind took it away, and went to put it back under the rock, not wanting to disturb someone's letter to a lost loved one. She knelt down and picked the rock up, keeping it suspending in the air as she sat there, frozen. Something willed her to open the letter, now seeing that it was from Arnold to his parents. She nearly smiled at the cute little note on the outside of the letter scrawled in Arnold's half cursive, half print handwriting. _To: my amazing parents, from: your son who misses you_

_"Oh, this can't be right,"_ Helga moaned to herself. _"I need a sign."_

Her sign came alright, the chilly wind blowing through the bare trees suddenly stopping, the unnerving silence now echoing in her ears. _"O...kay, that'll do."_

She moved her legs around until she was sitting on her rear, almost ducking down behind the nearest tree, just in case anyone who was dumb enough to be out on such a cold day should walk by and see her. She didn't want to get in trouble, and this was seriosuly so wrong, but she was so curious to see what Arnold was doing here the other day.

Her hands trembled as she pushed the top of the envelope open, revealing a small square of paper, folded into the origame shape of a heart. She almost didn't want to read the letter, not wanting to disturb the hard work that Arnold had put into this. She swallowed hard, the two options before her tearing her apart.

Okay, she was going to read the letter, just to get it over with. This was for Arnold's own good, or whatever her reason would be. She'd decide that later. Now, she was too busy scrambling to get the letter open, wanting to just read it as fast as she could and get the heck out of here. This place was starting to freak her out. Her eyes began skimming over the words, going back and rereading each sentence so that she didn't miss any detail.

_Dear mom and dad,_

_First off, let me start with saying, happy birthday mom. I'm not sure how old you are now, because Grandpa and Grandma don't like to talk about your birthday much. We always celebrate your birthday ever year, but it's not the same without you here. Hopefully one day, when you come home, we can celebrate your birthday as a whole family. I really miss you, mom, and dad too._

_Things have been pretty hard here lately, but I'm lucky that have such good best friends. Phoebe and Gerald. They're amazing. I hope one day you'll get to meet them. You'd be impressed to know Phoebe, she's super smart and very caring about me. She always has my best interest at heart, and would never do anything that would hurt me. Then there's Gerald, who is my all-time best friend. He's been there for me since Pre-k. I don't know what I would do without him._

_I gotta go now, because I just stopped by to drop this letter off to you guys and school starts soon. I miss you, and I love you._

_Love always,_

_Arnold. _

Helga slowly put the letter down, feeling ten times worse than she's ever felt in her whole entire life. Pieces of Arnold's letter came repeating themselves in her head as she carefully folded the note up and placed it back in the envelope. _Happy birthday mom. _She went to put the envelope back under the rock, standing up and shoving her hands into her pocket. _I'm not sure how old you are now..._

_Grandpa and Grandma never talk about your birthday.._

_Hopefully one day, when you come home, we can celebrate your birthday as a whole family..._

_Things have been pretty hard here..._

She shook her violently, trying to make the words stop ringing through her head. She scrurried through the empty city streets, intentionally stepping into every puddle she could find. She began coming up with ideas, schemes, plans to make Arnold truly forgive her, to make him see that she really did see the error of her ways. It just wasn't fair to make him suffer as she did when he already had a pretty crappy childhood to begin with.

_Okay, Arnold, tomorrow I'm gonna prove to you that I'm so very sorry, even if it kills me.._

**Okay, I'm serious this time, the next part will be the last part of the story, so seriously stay tuned! Comment guesses or thoughts on the story. You guys are awesome!**

**Peace, love, and Hey Arnold!**


	4. The Memory She Can't Shake

**The moment of truth, bum bum buuummmm!**

**Hope you enjoy, my lovelies!**

_"Okay, Pataki, you can do this. You can do this. You gotta do this."_

Helga tried desperatly to calm herself down as she walked down the street, occassionaly stopping to take a deep breath. It was way too early on a Saturday morning to be awake, but this had to be done. For her own sanity.

Her hands wringed around each other nervously, biting her lip as she began walking down the sidewalk again, trying to find the right words to say in her mind. Thankfully for her, no one else was around to hear her muttering to herself. "_Hey Arnold, look about the other day...no... Ok. So, you know I really didn't mean to...That's not it either..Maybe I should just wing it?..."_

Yes, that's it. Maybe she was thinking about it way too hard, and it was making her so nervous that didn't know the correct way to tell Arnold she was sorry. She would just wait until she was standing directly in front of Arnold before she would think about it. But would that really work? What if she messed up what she was gonna say and ended up making things worse? She seemed to be pretty good at that lately. _"No, stop doing that Pataki. Just...say what you gotta say and get the heck outta there."_

Helga turned the next corner that she came to, studying her surroundings to get her bearings. She was getting pretty close to where Arnold lived. Yeah, now she was starting to get really nervous. Would he even open the door and talk to her? Of course he would, right? It wasn't in his nature to not want to hear people out. If anything, he never really liked having drama between people. So, maybe he would be willing to listen and to just put all of this behind them?..

She could only hope. This was the only thing she could think of that would mend the love/hate relationship between them. Oh, how she loved him, and despised him at the same time. Nothing got on her nerves more then when he would flirt with Lila, or hold the door for Phoebe, or compliment Rhonda on how good she looked that day (like she didn't already know that). But, at the same time, it made her fall in love with him even more, knowing that he truly cared about others' feelings and would never do anyhing to intentionally hurt someone's feelings. He really did have everyone's best interest at heart. Which is what killed her the most.

She just kept replaying that day again, and again in her mind, the fast pace she was walking at slowed down to a steady pace. Her fists clenched together into a tight ball, and she bit her lip so hard she thought it was going to bleed.

_"Okaaayy, everyone know where they're gonna be cause I ain't gonna repeat myself again!"_

_Helga's voice echoed through the old baseball field, everyone scrambling to the spots she had assigned them to. No one really wanted to be on Helga's bad side, although it seemed like everyone usually was, except for Phoebe of course. Arnold had been put on third base, the closest to the road, and he seemed to be really good at the position. Helga truly had been impressed, though she wouldn't say so out loud, at how good Arnold was at baseball, no matter where she placed him in the field._

_Now it was Stinky's turn at the bat. He stared intently at Helga, her right back at him, as he got into batting position, swinging his bat high above his head. Helga hiked her leg up before throwing the ball at him as hard as she could. A loud __**CRACK! **__was all that was heard as Stinky made direct contact with the ball. Helga only glanced up as it soared high over her head, straight towards Arnold._

_"This is great! There's no way Arnold will miss this ball, then our team will win!" Helga thought excitedly, before yelling over at Arnold, "Heads up Football Head!"_

_Arnold was ready, his body crouched down as he waited for ball to get closer so that he could make the catch. There was no doubt he was gonna catch this, and everyone watched expectedly However, fate had different plans, as a shrill scream tore through the air, causing Arnold to look over in shock. He immediately dropped his glove, running across the street and shooing off the dog that had began jumping up on Lila Sawyer. The ball hit the ground right where Arnold had been standing just a few mere seconds before._

_An uproar began as Stinky's team began to cheer, laughing and taunting at Helga's team. Helga growled in irritation, honestly more at the fact that Arnold was around Ever-So-Miss-Perfect Lila Sawyer then at the fact that they lost. She nearly broke her glove in half watching Lila put her hands on Arnold's shoulder and give him a soft kiss on the cheek and a ruffle of his hair before walking away. Arnold came back with a lovesick look on his face._

_Helga pushed Stinky out of her way, as he had been dancing mockingly in front of her, and stomped up to Arnold. The lovesick puppy look immediately faded away as he saw the anger printed all over Helga's face. Little did he know, it was anger from jealousy, and not anger from losing. _

_"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT? YOU HAD THAT! IT WAS COMING STRAIGHT AT YOU! I MEAN CRIMINY, I COULDA CAUGHT THAT WITH MY EYES CLOSED!" she screamed, grabbing the attention of every kid in the baseball field. Everyone fell silent as they waited for what Arnold was going to do next._

_"I'm sorry Helga. It's just Lila was in trouble, and her safety was more important than a baseball game. I'm sure we'll win next time, Helga, it's not a big deal." Arnold tried his best to explain his actions, but just hearing Lila's name was enough for Helga. She flew into a little bit of a rage, not being able to stop her mouth from running off without her._

_"Who cares about Lila's safety? It was a stupid dog! She coulda done something for herself for once. But noooooooo, she's so used to you doing everything for her she doesn't have to do anything by herself. You're so concerned with 'Lila's safety' that you don't care about anything or anyone else."_

_Arnold looked hurt at the words Helga was hissing at him. He knew that she didn't mean what she said; she never really did. But her saying that he only cared about Lila was a complete and utter lie. He cared about everyone, and as much as it pained him to think about, he cared about Helga too. She may always give him a hard time, but he always got the feeling that she cared about him more than she let on._

_Helga studied Arnold's face, knowing that she had messed up, but she absolutely could not stop herself. It was as if she had completely lost control of her mind and her mouth. "Whatsa matter, Hairboy? Did I hurt your precious little feelings? Huh? Why don't you go run home to your mommy and cry about it? Oh, wait, that's right, you don't have a mommy do you?'"_

_Wait, what?_

_The crowd that had slowly formed around the irate Helag gasped, murmuring as they shot concerned glances at each other. All the color drained from Helga's face as she realized what she had just said. It was as if her brain had finally caught up with her and told her to quit while she was ahead. But the warning had came a little too late._

_Arnold's mouth fell open. Never had he ever expected Helga to go this far. Sure she never really understood the full background of what had happened to his parents, but Arnold thought she at least respected him enough to never bring that subject up. His hands began to shake as he backed up, away from everyone that was staring at him, his eyes deadset on Helga. The petrified look in his eyes had her locked up, and she wanted so bad to reach out and beg him to stay so that she could apologize up and down for what she had said._

_But she knew that wouldn't make him stay anyway. He made that perfectly clear by the way he whirled around immediately and took off, leaving Helga to remain where she stood, her mind completely blank._

Now, as Helga shook her head to rid herself from the horrible memory, she realized that she was now standing directly in front of Arnold's door. Her heartbeat quickened, her palms began sweating, and she felt as though she was gonna be sick. _"Please, please, please let this work," _she pleaded, as she reached her hand out to ring the doorbell...

**Sooooo, whatcha think? Will Arnold forgive Helga? Make sure to keep checking up on the story to find out.**


	5. The Tears She Can't Hide

**Here's the last little bit of the story. I was gonna wait until tomorrow to finish this, but I realized how busy my day is soooo... enjoy.**

_**~"If all we are is just a moment, don't forget me cause I won't end. I can't help myself. I think about you, oooh."~ Ross Lynch, I Think About You.** _

_Her heart pounded as she reached for the doorbell, palms sweaty, nearly ready to get sick. This was either going to make or break any kind of relationship she would ever have with Arnold, and it had to work. It just had to…_

This wasn't going to work. She could feel it in her veins, her nervousness getting the better of her. She brought her hand back, hesitate at what she was about to do, and she drew back down the stairs. Figures. With a heavy sigh, she reluctantly turned, her back towards the one thing that would potentially fix everything she had done wrong. Going out of her way to kick some rocks, she started to cry, despite the fact that she absolutely, positively hated crying. Thankfully no one was there to see it, but even if there were it wouldn't have mattered. She didn't care what anyone thought of her anymore. That ship has sailed. She turned the corner, sniffling, and practically ran straight into the one person she had been afraid to face.

_Of course **he'd **be the one to see me crying._

"H-Helga? What are you doing here… at seven in the morning on a Saturday?" Arnold seemed confused, and he shifted his weight onto one side, barely struggling to hold up the armful of bags he had been walking home. He sounded distant, like he was in a hurry…like he was in a hurry to get away from her. Not surprising. She opened her mouth, wanting so bad for things to be normal between them, Arnold looking at her with wide-eyed, wondering eyes. She couldn't do it, she just couldn't. She had never put her feelings out to Arnold, and she wasn't about to start now, knowing full well the risk she was taking but not making the leap. She went to walk around him, ashamed to even be this close to him, but she stopped dead in the sidewalk when he spoke again. "And why are you crying?"

_Criminy._ She had hoped he hadn't seen her tears; it was still really dark, and she had that hope to cling onto, but it was pretty obvious there was no getting out of this one. So she tried acting like she didn't hear him, deciding to just walk away instead. She didn't want to answer, afraid that if she did, he would hear the despair and distraught in her voice. She huffed and dropped her head, starting to walk away again, when she heard something behind her drop. Maybe Arnold just lost his grip on one of the many grocery bags he had been carrying in his hands….

A soft touch grasped her hand tightly, and she felt herself being whirled around, staring straight into Arnold's star crossed eyes. The compassion and sympathy in his gaze was something she missed so bad, and it was enough to send her into another crying fit. This was it, no getting out of it now. Just come clean, Pataki. He's right there. "Arnold, I…I rea…really didn't… what I said…I was just mad..is all…" She tried her best to talk through the tears, probably sounding like a blubbering idiot and maybe Arnold just had no idea what she had said, but she needed to get this off her chest.

"About us losing the baseball game?" Arnold asking, his eyes intently flickering back and forth between her big brown eyes.

Helga paused, her mouth set to just come out and tell Arnold the whole truth, that she was so unbelievably jealous of Lila. That Arnold was literally everything she thought about. That he was the first thing she thought about in the morning when she woke up, and the last thing she thought about when she went to bed. That she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life, and that she never ever wanted to lose him. It would be better, but then again, it might make things worse. It would all be so sudden, and that might just push him away from her even more. However, the caring glint in his eyes was so tempting, and she thought maybe she would be able to get away with it.. _No. Don't. Just say you're sorry and then get lost…_

Of course, she knew her pride wouldn't let her do that, so she lied again. But, this time, instead of shoving him off and calling him Football Head, she looked deep down into those dark blue eyes she'd come to love, and poured her heart out. Not exactly about what she wanted to, but still, it was now or never to make things right with the one boy she loved so much. "No, I was mad about something else. But that doesn't matter anymore. I should have never said what I did, and I-I'm so sorry, Arnold. It wasn't my place to say such mean and hurtful things, and if I ever do it again, I promise you never have to speak to me ever again..I.." She had meant to go on and on and on with her apology, but Arnold simply shook his head.

A finger was pressed gently against her lips, and her legs nearly gave out from underneath her. She had to keep her composure, of course, but it was so hard with Arnold being so close to her, speaking to her in such a soft voice that she had never heard him talk in. "Look Helga, although what you said was very…painful for me, I would never shut you out completely. Whether we like it or not, we're gonna be in each others lives for a very, very long time, and we're gonna have to get used to each other. We may not get along all the time, but I know that deep deep deep down inside you care about me…and I care about you too."

Helga couldn't believe what her ears were even hearing right now. Did Football Head just say he cared about me? Not that I'm complaining or anything.. She felt a small grin creep onto her face, Arnold giving her the cutest little half grin she had ever seen in her whole life, and she relaxed as he reached up to wipe the remaining tears from her face. "Don't worry about it anymore, okay? I forgive you," he whispered, as he drew her in for reassuring hug. As she rested her head on his shoulder, the biggest smile planted on her face, she felt Arnold breathe softly into her neck, and instantly she knew that everything was going to be okay. Unfortunately, the moment didn't last but for a mere few seconds, and her heart yearned for him to stay as she felt him moving around.

"Look, how about you help me take these groceries back home, and we'll make a day out of today, okay?" Arnold asked, pulling away and putting his hands on both of her shoulders. She smiled warmly and nodded, knowing that this was possibly going to be the absolute greatest day of her life. She knew she was going to be extra sweet to Arnold, and she was going to try her hardest not to call him Hair Boy or Football Head. He at least deserved that for being the kind, understanding soul that he was. She followed him as he began walking back to the four bags still sitting on the sidewalk. "Can we go to the arcade? I'm thinking about humiliating you at every single video game there."

Arnold shook his head and scoffed, scooping up to of the bags and handing them to her, then going back for the remaining two. "You honestly think you can beat me at Space Invader? I highly doubt that."

They began to walk of towards Arnold's house, the rising sun beginning to shine off in the pink distance. "Arnold, I could beat you at everything with one hand tied behind my back while blindfolded."

Arnold rushed up the stairs to the boarding house, setting the bags down momentarily to hold the door open for Helga. He winked at her as she passed by. "You're on, Pataki."

**Smiley face! Well, did you guys enjoy it! Didya didya didya? I really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you guys did too! Make sure to lookout for more stories that I'll be writing!**


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